ASU football commenced its third to last practice Sunday before the regular season opens this Thursday.
Wearing full pads and helmets, the offense and defense practiced ball security, tempo and special teams at the Bill Kajikawa Practice Fields. With only three players in green non-contact jerseys, the Sun Devils appeared to be in good health.
Redshirt sophomore running back Nick Ralston played with the first team during 11-on-11 drills. The 6-foot, 214-pound Texas native gained six yards on a north and south run up on the left side of the offensive line.
Additionally, senior running back Jacom Brimhall, who received notable reps with the second team, ran next to redshirt sophomore transfer quarterback Blake Barnett and as an extra slot receiver.
The coaching staff has already begun preparing for ASU’s first opponent, New Mexico State, and the scout team, wearing bright yellow jerseys and maroon colored numbers, are trained to simulate the Aggies' offensive and defensive schemes.
On defense, sophomore Darien Cornay ran with the second defensive backs, and freshman defensive back Alex Perry ran with the second team. Head coach Todd Graham said he has been impressed by their plays.
In addition to ball security and tempo drills, the defense worked on open field tackling where receivers would catch short screen passes and match up one-on-one with a corner or safety.
ASU will practice tomorrow and Tuesday before opening the 2017 season against New Mexico State on Thursday. Kickoff at Sun Devil Stadium is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., and the game can be seen on the Pac-12 Networks.
Extra Notes
- During the 11-on-11 drills in the media viewing, wideouts’ Ryan Newsome and Ryan Jenkins and defensive back Evan Fields did not participate.
-Barnett ran a few plays with the first-team offense. On the last play during the media viewing period, Barnett took the ball himself and ran, which is not typical for a pocket passer.
-The scout team and members of the defense were working on reading inside zone run plays.
First-Team-Offense
Quarterback: Manny Wilkins
Running Back: Demario Richard, Kalen Ballage
Wide Receiver: N’Keal Harry, John Humphrey, Jalen Harvey
Tight End: Jay Jay Wilson
Offensive Line: (Left Tackle) Cohl Cabral, (Left Guard) Sam Jones, (Center) A.J. McCollum, (Right Guard) Steven Miller, (Right Tackle) Quinn Bailey
First-Team-Defense
Defensive Line: JoJo Wicker, Tashon Smallwood, Alani Latu
Linebacker: Christian Sam, DJ Calhoun, Koron Crump
SPUR (hybrid between linebacker and safety): J’Marcus Rhodes
Defensive Backs: Joey Bryant, Kobe Williams, Dasmond Tautalatasi, Chad Adams
Second-Team-Offense
Quarterback: Blake Barnett
Running Back: Eno Benjamin
Wide Receiver: Frank Darby, Kyle Williams, Terrell Chatman
Tight End: Jay Jay Wilson
Offensive Line: (Left Tackle) Mason Walter, (Left Guard) Connor Humphreys, (Center) Cade Cote, (Right Guard) Alex Losoya, (Right Tackle) Zach Robertson
Second-Team-Defense
Defensive Line: Shannon Forman, Dougladson Subtyl, Renell Wren
Linebacker: Abraham Thompson, Khaylan Thomas, Deion Guignard
SPUR (Hybrid between linebacker and safety): Tyler Whiley
Defensive Backs: Darien Cornay, Alex Perry, K.J. Jarrell, Ty Thomas
Reach the reporter at jpjacqu1@asu.edu or follow @joejacquezaz on Twitter.
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